Sleeping bag



Jan. 4, 1944.- E. BAUER 2,338,226

SLEEPING BAG Filed June 6, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS Jan. 4, 1944. E. BAUER SLEEPING BAG Filed June 6, I 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

500/5 BAUER l VENTOR fie/g, ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLEEPING BAG Eddie Bauer, Seattle, Wash.

Application June 6, 1942, Serial No. 446,049

3 Claims. ('01. 5-343) This invention relates to a sleeping bag and more particularly to sleeping robes having hoods or head enclosing members.

it is well known that the sleeping bag or sleeping envelope designed to encase the body in an insulative manner is a highly useful sleeping garment and is one that lends itself readily to use by outdoorsmen, troops and the like by reason of its compactness and ease of carrying, as well as its tightness. There has been a longfelt need, however, for suitable head protection for the user of such a sleeping garment. This is especially true in the colder climates, where it is desired to protect the head as well as the body against the cold, Wind or snow, to limit the exposed surfaces only suflicient for the purposes -of respiration. According to a current design of sleeping bags for the United States Army for troops, the usual elongated envelope has provided,-adjacent the upper or open end, a triangular hood that is formed to partially enclose the head, and having an opening through which the face and nose may be exposed. For access to such a sleeping bag, from the lower edge of the face opening downward medially, the bag is slit and adapted to be fastened, either-by a slide fastener or by laces, snaps or the like. This construction has several obvious disadvantages. One .such disadvantage is that the triangular 'portionnf'the sleeping bag is diflicult to produce as well as to roll into the remainder of the envelope when it is desired to pack the bag in a roll. Another and serious disadvantage is the fact that the medial slit and its closure lie directly down the chest and stomach of a person ,using such a bag. Generally, the insulating filler "of the bag tapers out at the edges of this slitand a cold spot or region results, due to the fact that the insulation is not heavy enough along the closure in comparison to the remainder of the bag, and discomfort is a definite result. A, further disadvantage lies in the fact that such a bag is hard to get into, as the user must insert his feet and torso through the slit provided, slip the hood over head and fasten the slit. A real disadvantage arises when the user is'getting out of the bag, due to the difficulty of opening the slit and of removing the Having in mind the defects of the prior art, it is an object of my invention to provide, in a sleeping garment, a protective hood that is easy to use, eflicient for the purpose provided, and does not interfere with the usefulness of the bag or its stowage in a neat and compact roll.

Another object of my invention is to provide, in a sleeping garment of the type described, a deformable element which shall readily be adapted to varying weather conditions to alter the degree of protection afforded the head of the user of the garment.

A still further and more specific object of my invention is to provide, in a sleeping garment of the type described, a head covering and a closure means which will avoid cold spots or cold areas and thus increase the comfort of the user of the bag.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto I prefer to accomplish as follows:

According to a preferred embodiment of my invention, I attach to a sleeping bag an insulated flap extension on the head end of the lower panel of the bag, which flap is adapted to be shaped to form a head enclosing hood. Specifically, the flap extension has edge fastening means which cooperate with a similar means on the upper panel of the bag near its upper edge to secure the otherwise rectangular flap extension into a triangular form having a face opening. It is also a part of the invention to provide gathering means for this face opening, to vary the size and shape of the opening. Also it is to be noted in this invention that the flap extension is joined to the upper panel of the sleeping bag in such a manner that, when the hood is formed, cold spots are avoided, to the added comfort of the user, and at the same time in a manner that aids in shaping the head opening.

The novel feature that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view from the head end of my sleeping bag,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan View of the head end of my sleeping bag, in its extended or unformed position,

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the head end of the sleeping bag when so adapted to form a hood, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line suggested by line 44 of Figure 3.

A sleeping bag, to overcome the defects hereinbefore enumerated, must have at least two totally distinct characteristics; it must be capable of lying fiat when it is desired to roll the sleeping bag for portage, and it also must provide a tight-fitting, fully protective hood which is marked by an absence of cold spots, that would otherwise detract from the comfort of the user of such a bag. Accordingly, a preferred embodiment of my invention, referring to the figures of the drawings, is constituted by a. sleeping bag having an upper and lower insulated panel, H and 12, respectively. These panels are joined along the edges M and terminate in a foot it. The panel it? is normally superimposed upon the panel l2 and they and the foot define an envelope.

Along one side a slit it is closed by a conventional continuous fastener I8 having a slide 2i? which may be moved by the outer drawstring El or inner drawstring 22.

At the head end of the lower panel it an extension 24 is added, which runs outwardly beyond the limits of the .upper panel E in the manner shown in Figure 2. Fromthe point 25, where the bottom panel !2 extendsbeyond upper panel one-half the continuous fastener element, as 28 on one side and (ill on the otherside, extends outwardly toward the end of the extension 24. The other half ofeach of the fasteners 3.8a and 38a is secured to the outer face of the upper panel in by stitching or in any other suitable manner. These fastener halves converge slightly at an angle to each other at the point 32, approximately medially of the upper panel. It is to be noted that the disposition of the slide fastener halves 28a and.3lla do not extend across theface of panel it parallel toits upper edge, butrather at an angle thereto, so that between them and the upperedge a certain insulated portion 3ft remains.

The edge of extension 24 is provided with draw tubes or tunnels 3'! and 38, and drawstrings it and are fitted in those said tunnels, respectively, and anchored attheir ends.

The corners 42 and M of theextension 24' may be foldedinwardly toward point .32 on the face of the upper panel It in themanner suggested in Figure 1, and the fastener halves 3.0 and 30a are joined by moving thesliderprovided forthat purpose, here indicated by the numeral 3!, and the corner M is thus secured adjacent point 32. Next the edge material is gathered by drawing the drawstrings 39 and G0 to pucker the point of the trian le, in the manner of Figure 3, to form a head enclosing cup. 'The user then inserts his feet and torso in through the opening, closes the fastener it, folds corner 42 over toward point 32, and joins the slide fastener halves 28 and 28a. ihis completes the formation of the hood. The

' hood Where it joins the upper panel comprises double thicknesses of insulative material, as at the point indicated by numeral in Figure 4.

Due to this superimposition of the insulation'oi' the bag or the flap, a cold spot along-thisline is precluded.

The flap extension 24 is normally filled or quilted with the same material used in panels ill and it. Under certain circumstances, wool batting, cotton, kapok and,.for .extremelycold weather, ,down,tfeath ers or thelli'ke, isiplaced in the panel to provide a multiplicity of air pockets that will insulate the user of the sleeping bag from the elements.

It is to be noted that the width of the flap extension 24 is somewhat greater than its extended length beyond the limits of bottom panel l2. Thus when the corners t2 and M are folded and secured in the manner shown in Figure 3, the shape of the opening, when ungathered, is rough- 1y a triangle having its point at approximately point 32 and its legs diverging outwardly toward the edge adapted to be gathered where the base of the triangle is approximately four or five inches wide. When this edge and the triangle base are gathered, as in Figure 3, the material will be cupped in a manner that hoods the head of the user, and the edge of the thus defined opening is fitted closely around the face, usually across the forehead and down the sides of the same along the outer line of the eyes. The nose may be exposed for respiration. The flap portion .34 will normally lie across the chin and mouth of the user. Thus, only a minimum portion of the face and head is exposed to the elements.

A particular advantage of this sleeping robe that arises from the construction is the degree of control that is permitted over ventilation of the bag during use through the instrumentality of the side closure means 5%. Whenever outside temperatures are relatively high the need of the closed hood is somewhat lessened and then it need not be formed by the complete joinder of the halves of closure it. Thus the side opening may be left partially or wholly open and, according to the degree, air currents will move in and out freely to reduce internal temperatures. It is also to be noted that the placement of the closure along the side materially reduces, during such ventilation acts, undue exposure of the breast of the sleeper as would be the case witha breast opening common in such garments. This arrangement also avoids thin spots accompanying breast'positioned closures due to the absence of insulative material along the closure. Thus the garment is warmer, avoids unnecessaryexposure to the breast, and still may be ventilated oniroccasion without exposure to the sleeper. I

Although I have shown and described herein certain specific embodiments of my invention, I 1 .am fully aware that many modifications thereof are possible. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated bythe 'prior art and the spirit :of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sleeping bag wherein upper and lower sion, said securing elements on the upper wall extending obliquely downward from the corners thereof toward the center whereby when the securing elements are brought into cooperating engagement the cornersof the end extension are folded over to form a hood, said securing elements being so arranged that the folded overc'orers of the end extension will be displaceddownwardly to cup the hood.

2. In 'a'sleeping'bag wherein upper andlower .walls define'an envelope, an end extension on the .lower wall beyond the end of .the upper wall, and

means for securing the side edges of said end extension in a substantially lateral position across the upper wall, said means being disposed across the upper wall toward a point in the median below the upper edge of said wall whereby to displace the folded over portion downwardly to cup the hood.

3. A sleeping bag, comprising: a lower elongated wall, a shorter upper wall superimposed upon said lower wall whereby a portion of the latter extends beyond the end of the upper wall, said walls being joined except at the upper end where the lower wall extends beyond the upper wall, cooperating fastening means on the side edges of the extended portion of the lower wall and on the upper wall, said fastening means on the upper wall being disposed obliquely downward 

